Saturday, September 12, 2009

1951 Buick Special Deluxe Tourback Sedan

"What's been done for '51 is to take the best automobiles that ever bore the Buick name - and top them. Come, look them over and you'll se what we mean. There's the Special, which can accurately be titled 'the newest car in the world' - new in structure, new in power, new in dimensions, new in thrift - and potent in price appeal."

The evening sun puts a soft gleam onto this Buick Special, rushing home along the "carretera central" near Sancti Spiritus. The incomplete paintjob, and the missing chrome-parts indicate that this car is a "proyecto" and hopefully will shine soon again. In Cuba "restorations" can take a long time, depending of the grade of devastation of the car and the available spare parts.

Buicks, especially the models from the early 50s, have the image of almost indestructible cars. The metalwork, as well as the mechanical parts, were massive and solid. This Buick Special Model 41D (recognizable by it's "soft"-blended rear fender and the onepiece windshield) was Buicks entry model, but nevertheless of impressive dimensions.